Come Fly With Me
by RayWritesThings
Summary: The Airline AU that no one asked for. Different First Meeting, No Time Travel


**Hello, readers. I've decided to start cross-posting some of my fics from AO3 and tumblr over to FFN, so if you recognize this story most likely you've read it on either of my accounts there (Ray_Writes and raywritesthings, respectively). If you haven't read it before, I hope you enjoy!**

**-RayWritesThings**

**Come Fly With Me**

It wasn't really the flight that changed everything. More like the briefing room. Though, Bill supposed, if it weren't for the flight there wouldn't have needed to be a briefing, so maybe it was the flight after all. Like that problem about the chicken and the egg. She'd never really know which came first, but what came next was the rest of her life.

She'd finally gotten a route that matched up with Shireen. They'd been bidding for the same ones the last few months in hopes they'd have some leave together that they could use to catch up with the mates from University.

The briefing room was cool, though that changed as it gradually began to fill up before the start of the meeting. Groups of other flight attendants sat together and chatted just like she and Shireen as they waited. She recognized a few from other flights and smiled or nodded in greeting.

There was a woman down at the end of the table, sitting on her own. Blonde hair in soft waves framed a very pretty face. Was that a star in her eye? Bill felt like she was seeing stars.

"Shireen," she muttered. "Who's that?"

"Well part of the crew, obviously," her friend teased. Bill broke gazes with the unknown woman to roll her eyes at her friend.

"Obviously. But she's not a flight attendant, is she?"

"No. I think she might be one of the pilots."

Bill's eyes widened. A pilot, making eyes at her? That couldn't be right.

The buzz of conversation around them tapered off as the meeting was called to order. She was barely focusing on what was being said. Her eyes kept drifting over to where the woman was sitting—and the only thing that really registered at all was when the person going over the flight plan with them all referred to her as not just one of the pilots, but _the_ pilot.

And she wasn't just imagining things, because several times she caught the woman turning away just as she looked back again. Her skin prickled with the sensation of being watched, and she wondered what about her could possibly be keeping this other woman's attention so thoroughly as she kept Bill's. Bill didn't have a beautiful face or a star in her eye. She couldn't even pull off enigmatic.

Bill stood with everyone else at the end of the briefing and made her way to the door. Only, just as she reached for the handle, someone else did. Their hands brushed. She looked up to find herself staring into those beautiful, remarkable eyes once again, only this time so much closer than before. Time seemed to freeze in place for an immeasurable span as her breath caught in her throat and the other woman stared back.

"Who's holding up the line?" Asked someone several feet behind her, and Bill looked round, startled.

Shireen was looking at her oddly. "You alright?"

The door opened and swung shut. When she looked back, the woman was gone.

"Er, yeah," Bill breathed. She and Shireen exited out into the airport proper. "But you mind going over the details with me again? Just want to be sure I've got it."

If she could get some details on that beautiful pilot, well, she wouldn't mind that either.

35,000 feet in the air later, Bill was half-chasing, half-ushering a pair of kids down the aisle back to their parents for the third time. "Sorry," the mother said, not that apologetically.

"It's fine," Bill answered with a smile anyway. She turned and retreated quick as she could back to relative safety, fortunately not getting called aside by any of the other passengers on the way.

Shireen was on their station's phone and placed it to her shoulder when she spotted her. "Bill, can you step in for the first officer? He needs the toilet, and I'm a bit busy." She gestured to the food cart she'd been about to push out in explanation.

"Er, yeah," she answered. She'd not been sent up front very often before, and she hadn't even been holding onto any kind of…expectation? Hope? She'd barely gotten a brief glimpse of their pilots when they boarded, and now she'd be right there with, well, _her_. Bill made her way up to the cockpit and let herself in. For a moment, she was taken aback by the view out the front windows. It was beautiful, so much better than the little side ones along the length of the plane. Then she remembered herself. "Hello."

The copilot glanced over his shoulder. "Brilliant." He stood up, and Bill shuffled to the side to let him pass. "Thanks."

"No problem, mate." Bill waited until the door shut behind her before making her way to the seats. She tapped the headrest of the vacant one. "You mind if I sit?"

The pilot finally looked at her, and it was like the briefing room all over again. Bill felt her stomach do that strange little flip-flop and might have forgotten to breathe for a moment. "Of course not. You're here to keep me company, aren't you?"

She tried for a laugh, though it came out a bit shaky as she sunk down into the chair. "You say that like you wanted it to be me."

A glance to her left showed the pilot had a smile playing at her lips, even as she returned her gaze to the window. "Maybe."

"My name's Bill."

"Heather."

There was a moment of silence. Bill desperately wanted to break it. Not only was she not all that great at conversational lulls, she also was keenly aware she'd only have a few minutes alone with the other woman.

"You must really love flying," she blurted. Right, good one. Bill tried not to let her embarrassment show too much as she pressed on. "Everyone says you're the best captain."

"Being in the air makes me happy," Heather answered plainly. "Every time I touch down I just want to take off again."

"This must work out well for you, then," Bill remarked. "Sounds a bit lonely, though."

"I'm not lonely now," Heather claimed. Bill felt herself blush. "And I do get leave." Now she'd forgotten how to breathe. Again.

The door of the cockpit reopened. "Thanks again," the copilot said, and Bill scrambled to get out of the chair.

"No problem," she repeated, though a bit less cheery. What she wouldn't have given for him to take just one more minute!

Before she could leave, however, Heather called out to her. "Bill!"

She whirled back around. "Yeah?"

Heather was looking at her full-on now and seemed to hesitate just a moment. "If you feel like a chat, come up whenever."

Bill felt a grin stretch across her lips. "Okay. Back in time for tea?"

Heather smiled. "If you want."

They both stared perhaps a bit too long again. But there was really no avoiding they had jobs to do, so she forced herself to turn back and exit the cockpit.

The door shut and locked behind her and, still smiling a little to herself, Bill raised a hand to the back of her neck. She felt hot to the touch.

Oh yeah, she was totally coming back for a chat.


End file.
